VERMILLION, S.D. - UC Davis newcomer Gabe Manzanares rushed for a team-high 91 yards and scored a late touchdown but host South Dakota was able to hold off the Aggies 10-7 in a nonconference football game at the DakotaDome on Saturday afternoon.

It was the inaugural game for first-year UC Davis coach Ron Gould who took over the program in December and was in his first game as a head coach. Safety Arryn Jones had eight tackles to lead the Aggie defense while linebackers Jonathan Bias and Ryan Dimino each had six.

Running back Trevor Bouma gained 95 yards on 17 carries to help lead the Coyotes' offense while quarterback Josh Vander Maten rushed for 35, includng a 3-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter that broke a scoreless game and put South Dakota in front 7-0. Miles Bergner's 39-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter provided the eventual decisive points after making it 10-0.

Manzanares' one-yard ouchdown capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive with just under four minutes remaining, bringing the Aggies to within a field goal, but South Dakota was able to keep the ball the rest of the way and run out the clock.

"We made some critical mistakes. We had some penalties that brought back some plays. We weren't very sharp," Gould said. "But overall I really appreciate the effort. They played hard all four quarters. The defense played (hard). They were on the field a long time."

UC Davis wasn't able to get much going offensively early in the game, punting on two of its first three possessions and turning the ball over with a fumble on the other. But the defense was able to keep South Dakota off the scoreboard by forcing a pair of punts and the Coyotes unable to make a short field goal.

South Dakota was finally able to break through early in the second quarter, driving 77 yards on 10 plays, gaining 21 yards on a pass from Vander Maten to Trevor Bouma and then matching that with Terrance Terry's long run to the three-yard line which set up Vander Maten's short touchdown.

UC Davis had two chances to score before halftime. Brady Stuart's 45-yard field goal attempt was wide left with nine minutes, 36 seconds to go while his 20-yarder on the final play of the half was blocked by Dyllon Knox.

The Aggies punted on their first three drives of the second half while South Dakota was forced to punt on its first two before Bergner's field goal in the fourth capped a 13-play, 45-yard drive that chewed up nearly seven minutes of the clock.

UC Davis' offense came to life after that with Manzanares ripping off runs of 19 and 17 yards, respectively, sandwiched around an 11-yard rush by Tavior Mowry which helped push the Aggies to the Coyotes' 13. Manzanares eventually rumbled in from a yard out to make it 10-7 wiith 3:45 left. Three first downs from South Dakota sealed the game.

"I'm very, very pleased with how hard (Gabe) ran the ball," Gould said. "He's definitely a bright spot for us and we're looking forward to him in our next game."

UC Davis finished with 267 yards of offense, including 157 on the ground. Starter Randy Wright was 7 of 14 for 60 yards while newcomer Jimmy Laughrea, who played during the second quarter, was 6 of 10 for 50 yards. Gould said he planned to play both quarterbacks in the game.

Mowry finished with 37 rushing yards, Laughrea added 29 including 21 on a scramble, and Corey Galindo had five grabs for 39 yards. Defensive end Marques Barron had a pair of TFL's for the defense. Keyen Lege had eight stops for South Dakota. The Coyotes gained 286 total yards.

UC Davis had six penalties for 49 yards including one which negated a touchdown pass from Laughrea to Tom Hemmingsen. South Dakota was penalized seven times for 50 yards.

UC Davis will return to action next Saturday, visiting Nevada for a 6:05 p.m. kickoff.